4/21/15 Where Does This Power Come From?

Jesus and His apostles, along with the women who are helping with the work, begin to travel from village to village, preaching the Good News that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, healing people and setting them free from demons. One man is brought to Jesus who is possessed by a demon that is making him blind and mute. Jesus rebukes the demon and drives it out of the man, healing the man’s soul, setting him free, and returning his sight and his voice. The man is incredibly grateful and the people who witness this are astonished at the transformation he has just undergone. They begin to believe that maybe Jesus really could be the Messiah. But the Pharisees, having followed Jesus from Jerusalem to bear witness to what they deem to be the worst kind of blasphemy, will not believe. One calls out, “Jesus of Nazareth is the son of Satan! His power to drive out demons comes from the king of the demons!”